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These features clearly indicate how far the Indian continental plate, to the south, has been pushed beneath the Asian plate, to the north, highlighting the connection between Earth's interior and its surface features.

Using geochronological analyses pioneered at the University of Glasgow and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center, the study team determined that the western and central parts of the Tibetan Plateau have distinct geological histories, reflected in their topography.

The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, reveal a distinct east-west difference in the plateau's exhumation history—the way rocks appear at the surface through plate movements and erosion. The research offers direct evidence linking differential exhumation across the plateau to the movement of the Indian plate beneath the Asian plate.

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest upland area on Earth, with average elevations exceeding 4,500 m (14,800 feet). It acts as a major driver of the global climate and is the source of Asia's 10 largest rivers, providing water to billions of people.

Fieldwork traced east-west contrasts

Although the plateau appears to be a massive monolith, there are geological and topographical differences between the north and south and, crucially, from west to east that have never been investigated before.

With these questions in mind, researchers spent the summers of 2017–2019 conducting extensive geological surveys across Gerze in the central plateau and Rutog in the west, collecting a large suite of representative samples that were shipped to the University of Glasgow.

In a three-year collaborative research project, Ph.D. students from Nanjing University in China used low-temperature thermochronology techniques developed by researchers at the University of Glasgow and SUERC to determine the regional exhumation history and reconstruct past topography and relief.

Uplift diverged across the plateau

By combining the age data with geological information collected in the field and geophysical observations, the team discovered that uplift of the central and western parts of the plateau was radically different between 45 million and 20 million years ago.

This period coincides with a time when the Indian plate is known to have moved under the Asian plate in the west but had not yet reached the central plateau.

Prof. Cristina Persano, of the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, said, "The landscape, its topography and geological records are the only way we can investigate and understand what happens under our feet.

"This knowledge is of fundamental importance if we want to understand geological hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, and, if, like Leonardo, we 'wonder' why nature looks like it does."

She added, "Being a geoscientist is fantastic. You get to see unique places, and as you admire nature and its complexity, you cannot help but wonder how unique our planet is; how everything, from plate tectonics happening kilometers under our feet to the formation of ozone kilometers above our heads, works in perfect harmony; and how delicate this equilibrium is. As a geoscientist, I feel the responsibility to understand and protect this equilibrium."

Evidence with wider implications

Fin Stuart, professor of isotope geosciences at SUERC, said, "This is the first convincing evidence that the subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Asian tectonic plate drove the formation of the Tibetan Plateau, and it explains the topographic differences between the eastern and western parts of Tibet.

"It has the potential to change our understanding of how mountain belts form, and it demonstrates the power of the new analytical techniques."

Publication details

Weiwei Xue et al, West versus Central Tibet exhumation difference influenced by Indian slab underthrusting, Nature Geoscience (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-026-02043-9

Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Geoscientists reveal how Earth's forces are shaping the 'Roof of the World' (2026, July 10) retrieved 11 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-geoscientists-reveal-earth-roof-world.html

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The report has sparked controversy and led to Phia’s suspension from Impact.com, a leading affiliate and influencer platform. Other startups have been sued over “cookie stuffing,” notably Honey, which is owned by PayPal and remains the subject of an ongoing class action lawsuit. 

Founded in 2025, Phia has raised more than $40 million in funding and has a star-studded list of investors, including Khloé Kardashian and Hailey Bieber. The startup developed an app as a browser extension that works somewhat like Google Flights, but for shopping. Phia helps customers find the lowest-priced items across various retailers as well as discount codes to use when shopping. The company takes a commission on purchases made through the platform, an industry practice known as affiliate marketing. 

The Bloomberg investigation, as well as findings from an independent consultant and a competitor, found that if a user shopped at an online retailer — even if they arrived at the site on their own or through another affiliate program like Wirecutter — Phia would open a new tab in the background. During the checkout process, Phia would override the referral codes from other affiliates and instead inject its own, allowing it to take credit for and potentially receive a commission on a purchase it didn’t earn. 

Once the issue was flagged to Phia, a spokesperson told Bloomberg that all necessary changes had been made to fix the issue. A check by Bloomberg found the issue had been resolved. It’s unclear if the fix is enough to satisfy the retailers and affiliate partners that work with Phia.

TechCrunch reached out to Phia for comment and has not received a response.

This article was updated to clarify the celeb investors in the company.

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In May, American singer Jenevieve featured Jihyo on her smooth R&B track, “Hvnly.” The music video plays like a '90s MTV video, as Jenevieve and Jihyo rock it out in parking lots at night, with muted colors and transitions between color and black-and-white. The next month, during the World Cup, a collaboration between Jihyo, French Montana, LUDMILLA, RedOne, and Adriana C was released. The song “Follow Me” was one of the official anthems for the World Cup.

Now, she unveils “Distant Lover,” a new song and music video with the Grammy-nominated Jamaican artist Shenseea. The song, which blends K-pop, dancehall, and Afrobeats, captures the concept of “situationships” and whether it’s even worth it. Jihyo heard the song from her team as they were going through songs for her next solo album. When she heard “Distant Lover,” she wanted the song immediately.

“I loved it so much that I almost wanted to include it in my solo album,” Jihyo says over Zoom from the JYP Entertainment offices in Seoul. “That’s how much I loved it.”

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FANDOM, the music project created by Musicow and ROC Nation, presented the song to producers who worked with JYP Entertainment on previous projects. JYP Entertainment thought it would be great for Jihyo and the collaboration happened. Jihyo heard Shenseea on the demo for the song and was excited to contribute her voice alongside hers. Rather than using her robust vocals, Jihyo wanted to complement Shenseea’s, opting for a softer, more soulful tone.

“I immediately felt her powerful vocals,” Jihyo explains. “I didn't want to use my powerful vocal style in this song, but [accompany] her powerful vocals. So I wanted to be a little smoother. I wanted to give different vocal components to this song, because that's what makes the song interesting and not boring to listen to.”

Though they recorded from different locations, they met while shooting the music video, which features both artists and has oceanic themes, and it felt empowering to have two global stars working together on this summer anthem. Jihyo and Shenseea hit it off immediately.

“She was so kind,” Jihyo recalls. “She made the whole atmosphere and encounter very comfortable, so I felt really at ease.”

In the video, both women exude confidence, with Jihyo showing a sexier side, especially in R&B. In retrospect, she feels she could have done a few things better, but thinks the outcome was successful.

“I was able to show different sides than Sheensea, and we came together harmoniously,” says Jihyo. “We made the entire song very complete. This is the only song that I listen to these days.”

With the cross-collaboration, which is FANDOM’s third since "Something Special" with Ahn Hyo Seop and Khalid, global artists can work together to create something completely new and original, blending styles and visuals for both fanbases.

Being part of the K-pop world, Jihyo has always felt like she had to be on her toes and hurry things up. She likes to do things quickly, and with TWICE – since there are nine of them in total, they each have to find time to film all nine parts equally, which takes time and efficiency. But with this collaboration, she got to take things a bit more slowly and enjoy the process.

“[With nine of us], I have to think about how I can stand out or make myself unique in the group, but when I saw these artists – Jenevieve and Sheensea – working, I could see how relaxed they are,” Jihyo confesses. “They could really show their own aura. They were giving off their own relaxed and chill vibe. So I learned that maybe I don’t have to hurry things. Maybe I don’t have to do things so fast. So that kind of attitude is something I learned from them.”

Throughout the collaborative process, Jihyo felt so at ease. She didn’t have to be the leader and lead people to show the best in themselves, which she doesn’t mind and happily takes on. She just felt more relaxed, less pressure, and more freedom as an individual.

“As TWICE’s leader, I try to create the best synergy that nine of us can possibly give,” she explains. “We talk a lot amongst ourselves to show a better version of ourselves. We try to strive for perfection. As a solo artist, there’s nobody to talk to. I have to make my own decisions.”

With K-pop becoming more global, which has made TWICE global sensations, Jihyo is surprised by how many collaborations K-pop artists have had with Western artists. She never expected this when she first debuted over a decade ago. She recalls only PSY’s Gangnam Style being internationally recognized. Even in Korea, K-pop back then wasn’t what it is now. Jihyo credits social media like Instagram and TikTok, as well as groups like her seniors and BTS, for “paving the way” for South Korean artists to become better known. She shares, “We’re just following in their footsteps, and I’m grateful for what they’ve done for us.”

She adds, “We didn’t have Instagram or TikTok challenges back in the day. When I debuted, we had content channels, which became globalized and grew in number. I think that really helped K-pop artists to make their presence strong on the global stage.”

Jihyo herself could never have imagined working with international artists, believing them to be so “far away,” both mentally and physically. She feels excited to work with more people to create more music.

“I really find that incredible,” she smirks. “I really think that I should make the most of it, and I'm trying to have the most fun possible.”

TWICE has even begun releasing more English tracks alongside Japanese ones to reach a broader audience. TWICE even appeared on Netflix’s award-winning animated feature, KPop Demon Hunters, twice, with their song “Strategy” and the soundtrack version of “Takedown,” performed by Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung.

“I would love to sing in other languages, such as Spanish,” Jihyo states. “I think that’ll help us reach more fans globally as we speak more languages in our songs.”

As for future collaborations, Jihyo would love to work with so many international artists, including Rihanna, Kehlani, Bad Bunny, and Shakira. She chuckles when she hears an audible “Oh my God! A Jihyo X Shakira collaboration would be amazing” on the other end of the Zoom.

She admits that her taste differs from the type of music she sings and performs, and hopes to participate in some jazz or R&B songs in the future. She reveals, “In the future, if the chance happens upon me, I would love to release a jazzy R&B album. That’s my little dream I have.”

She smiles, hearing more audible gasps of excitement on the other end. She says everything she’s working on is confidential and wishes she could say more, but right now, she’s focused on their final TWICE THIS IS FOR concert in Seoul this weekend. Then the group will take a nice – and well-deserved – break for a little bit after their nearly year-long tour and releasing music in between. She understands the fans may feel disappointed not to see or hear music from them, but it’s only for a short period.

“For the past 11 years, as TWICE and as a solo artist, we barely had any breaks, so I want to spend the rest of this year relaxing and taking a bit of a break,” Jihyo shares. “This break is really something we need in order to work better in the future, so I hope our fans understand.”

When asked if Jihyo would be taking a break from collaborations in the meantime as well, she laughs and says, “When it comes to collaborative work like this, they already have the song ready for me. They have the song's concept, so it’s not really hard to participate and collaborate with other artists. So, if anything comes up, give me a call.”

Jihyo and Sheensea’s “Distant Lover” is out now on all streaming platforms. Physical copies are available at select retailers.

Correction: 7/10 previously, it was reported that FANDOM producers brought the song to Jihyo, but it was a producer who previously worked with JYP Entertainment and Jihyo who brought it. %!s()

Saturday morning began on another warm note in many areas. Porthmadog, Gwynedd experienced a 'tropical night', with the temperature not dropping below 20.9C. Another hot day follows for many too with the highest temperatures will be in the west Midlands, south-east Wales and parts of southern England - up to 33C.

A brisk north-easterly wind means that eastern parts of England will feel a drop off in temperatures.

North Sea coasts from Northumberland to Suffolk could remain cloudy and misty on Saturday but should be much sunnier on Sunday.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will also see more cloud.

Showers in eastern Scotland will have died out by Sunday bringing more sunshine.

Temperatures will be 23 or 24C at best but eastern Scotland will be cooler.

On Sunday, as the wind strengthens, temperatures will be a few degrees lower still in England and Wales - but could still reach 30C in southern England.

Millions of people across the south-east of the England will be affected by hosepipe bans due to concerns over the lack of rainfall.

Anglian Water has introduced its first hosepipe ban in a decade which applies to customers in the east of England and begins at 01:00 BST on Saturday.

A ban for one million households supplied by Southern Water in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has also come into force. South East Water has its own restrictions in place.

On Thursday, Cambridge Water also announced its first hosepipe ban in 30 years.

The past winter months of December 2025 through to February 2026 brought an overall 13% more rainfall compared to average in the UK. However, there were stark regional differences. England saw 42% more than average whilst Scotland received 14% below average.

However, the spring that followed was overall 14% below the long-term meteorological average in terms of rainfall for the UK, and again varied enormously depending on where you are.

Northern England had 90% of its average, whereas there was just 50% in southern England.

Some spots in the south-east and east of England saw around a third of their average seasonal rainfall, including Suffolk (33%), Kent (33%), Essex (34%), Cambridgeshire (35%) and the City of London (36%). %!s()

The preliminary hearings gave prosecutors a chance to outline probable cause to try Tyler Robinson, 23, on charges including aggravated murder, a death penalty offence in Utah.

They painted a vivid picture of his movements in the 48 hours surrounding the murder of Kirk - using CCTV, witness testimony, a taped interview with Robinson's roommate and messages between the pair.

The defence for Robinson, who has not yet entered a plea, sought to sow doubt on all of it.

Kirk, a key Trump ally, founder of conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA and a 31-year-old father-of-two, was shot once in the neck as he addressed a crowd on the campus of Utah Valley University on 10 September last year.

For the past five days, lawyers for Robinson, a trainee electrician, raised repeated objections to evidence and testimony on arguments including hearsay and the tainting of potential jurors.

They questioned the credibility of experts, DNA and ballistics reports with prolonged cross-examination about testing, interpretation and protocol.

But Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney General Chad Grunander told the judge: "Your Honour's heard four days of testimony now.

"The evidence is overwhelming. It's devastating."

Now Robinson's fate lies in the hands of Utah County Judge Tony Graf, who will determine if the case proceeds to trial.

Few details were actually known about Robinson or his actions until this week's court hearing.

Proceedings drew intense interest from the public, and some lined up overnight to earn a wristband for one of just 14 seats allotted for spectators.

Families of both defendant and victim were emotional in court. At one point on Friday, while video was shown of the suspect running across a rooftop on the day of the shooting, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, reportedly hugged her tearful mother-in-law, then both looked away from the footage.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, spent the week painting a picture of a college dropout gamer who used his grandfather's rifle to assassinate a national political figure, then sought to cover his tracks to get away with it.

Much of what was learned came from Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, through a video interview with a prosecutor, recorded in April.

Twiggs told how the pair first met through friends in 2023. They were roommates before starting to date.

According to the taped interview, the suspect would talk about Trump or current affairs, although they did not discuss LGBT issues and Twiggs had never heard Robinson mention Kirk.

On the morning of Kirk's killing, Twiggs said Robinson left earlier than usual, around 04:00.

Robinson showed up three-and-a-half hours north that day at Utah Valley University campus in Orem, prosecutors said.

They played surveillance footage they said showed Robinson sauntering through campus, buying and eating Chick-Fil-A and even interacting with representatives from Kirk's Turning Point USA organisation.

The court saw footage of a man prosecutors say is Robinson returning to campus in different clothes from the ones he was pictured in earlier - as well as changing his gait, holding one leg straight.

Surveillance showed the suspect heading to the rooftop of the Losee Center, the building from which investigators say Kirk was shot from about about 415ft (126m) away.

According to State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull, who testified over two days, surveillance video shows Robinson rolling over a railing on to the Losee rooftop, lying prone and later dropping down off it with an unknown object in his hand.

In texts between Robinson and his roommate from the night of the shooting, the suspect said he'd hidden his grandfather's rifle in bushes near campus - and returned while an intense manhunt was underway.

Robinson texted Twiggs complaining that "there is a squad car parked right by it.

He added: "Again, I am sorry for roping you into all of this. You should not have to worry about this."

When Twiggs asked Robinson whether he was the shooter, the suspect admitted it and apologised, according to texts presented by prosecutors.

"I had enough of his hatred," Robinson texted. "Some hate can't be negotiated out."

The suspect wasn't even sure what model of gun he'd used, according to messages with his roommate.

"I don't fully know what the gun was, because it was old... and Gramps did some modifying," he wrote.

Twiggs testified that Robinson had asked weeks earlier about using an engraving tool in advance of an upcoming hunting and camping trip with his family.

After the shooting, however, he texted Twiggs: "Remember how I was engraving bullets?"

He said the messages were "mostly a big meme".

The court saw pictures this week of inscribed bullets and cartridges found both at the crime scene and Robinson's residence - with messages such as "Hey Fascist! Catch!"

Robinson eventually gave up trying to retrieve the rifle, he texted Twiggs, and made his way back to their home in St George.

Authorities did discover the firearm, law enforcement testified this week, and found DNA matching Robinson on both the rifle and a towel it was wrapped in.

Robinson, meanwhile, was nervous and regretful in the apartment he shared with his roommate the day after the shooting, Twiggs said in the recorded interview.

"He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it and then kept going around and just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted or something," Twiggs said.

The hearing featured lengthy debates over the admissibility of evidence - with media lawyers and Kirk representatives arguing passionately for everything to be displayed publicly or at least in the courtroom.

Robinson told his roommate the day after the killing that he intended to turn himself in, Twiggs said.

The court heard how the suspect arrived at Washington County Sheriff's Office the day after the shooting, accompanied by his parents and a family friend.

Prosecutors played soundless footage of him that night, wearing a maroon shirt, dark hat, jeans and Converse shoes, and he was transported back to Utah County and formally booked on 12 September.

This week, Robinson appeared in court clean-shaven and wearing light-coloured suits. His parents and two brothers were also there.

The US president's son, Donald Trump Jr, and his wife were in court, too.

Both sides must now submit lengthy written briefs, and Judge Graf set the next hearing date for 1 September.

The Kirk family released a statement shortly after court adjourned.

The family wrote: "Nothing will ever undo the loss of our beloved Charlie.

"As this case moves into its next phase, we pray that truth will continue to be heard through a process that is fair, transparent, and grounded in the facts." %!s()